WWE veteran shares "plausible" Montreal Screwjob conspiracy theory
Former WWE referee Jimmy Korderas recently speculated whether Bret Hart had prior knowledge of the Montreal Screwjob incident. In one of wrestling's biggest controversies, Hart lost the WWE Championship to arch-rival Shawn Michaels in his home country of Canada at Survivor Series 1997.
Heading into the match, The Hitman thought he would retain the title via disqualification before joining WCW. However, then-WWE Chairman Vince McMahon changed the finish without telling his departing star.
Although Korderas did not officiate the match, he was a WWE referee at the time of the incident. In an interview on the Cheap Heat Productions Podcast, he questioned whether a "plausible" Montreal Screwjob conspiracy theory was true.
"I'm 50/50 on it," Korderas said. "It wasn't something that maybe Bret had agreed to do for a short period of time where Vince said, 'You know what, here's the deal, WCW is offering you a boatload of money, some ridiculous money.' He probably, maybe, I'm just speculating here, I'm not saying I've got the inside on this one. Maybe he said, 'You go over there for a little while, stir the pot, make that money, and when your deal's done, you come back here, you'll be the biggest star in the industry.'" [30:20 – 30:53]
Hart signed a three-year contract with WCW. As Korderas referenced, the company gave the former WWE Champion $2.5 million per year to make him one of the highest-paid wrestlers in the business.
Jimmy Korderas speculates on why things changed after the Montreal Screwjob
In 1999, Bret Hart's brother Owen passed away after falling from the rafters of the arena during his entrance at WWE Over the Edge. Later that year, Hart suffered a serious concussion against Goldberg at Starrcade 1999 which ultimately led to his retirement.
If the Montreal Screwjob theory is accurate, Jimmy Korderas believes those two incidents altered WWE's plan to rehire Hart after his WCW deal expired:
"Bret probably said, 'You know what, that'd be cool. I could do that,' until the unfortunate thing with him and Goldberg, and then of course the terrible tragedy with his brother Owen I think just soured everybody on a whole bunch of things, and of course put an end to that idea. But I think that's a very plausible thing that may have happened that day," said Korderas. [30:54 – 31:16]
Korderas added that journalists usually have press credentials at WWE events, but those rights were restricted on the day of Survivor Series 1997. He thinks WWE's "odd" handling of the media makes the Montreal Screwjob conspiracy theory even more believable.
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Please credit the Cheap Heat Productions Podcast and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.